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Wichita County jail reports 13 openings; supervisors and schedules drive overtime
Summary
The jail captain reported 13 open jailer positions, two hires starting later in the month and several staff out on leave. The captain explained scheduling and supervisory coverage contribute to overtime, and officials said recently enrolled recruits and jail school in June should help reduce overtime pressure.
The jail captain told the Wichita County Commissioners Court on May 16 that the sheriff’s office currently has 13 open jailer positions but expected two new hires to start at the end of the month.
“As of this morning, I have 13 openings,” the captain said, adding that three employees are out on FMLA, workers’ compensation or military leave and that the county is preparing to start jail school on June 1 with several recruits enrolled.
The captain said several staff are in training and that trainees are paired with experienced officers. He explained how supervisory coverage contributes to overtime: the department maintains at least two supervisors in the facility daily and sometimes schedules overlap across housing and booking areas, which increases paid supervisory hours.
Commissioners asked whether non‑jail supervisory staff incur overtime; the captain said overtime can result from out‑of‑town trips, transport duties and minimum‑staffing needs, and that divisions such as compliance and transport occasionally generate overtime when they are called into the jail. The captain also described internal efforts to allow employees to flex time instead of accruing overtime when operationally possible.
Court members noted the department is actively recruiting and running a training pipeline that should reduce vacancies and overtime once new staff complete training. No formal personnel actions were taken in the meeting.
